Combination well bore and casing cleaner



Dec. 18, 1962 L. KLUCK 3,068,941

COMBINATION WELL BORE AND CASING CLEANER Filed Aug. 4, 1959 Fig.

Lou/s K/uck 1N VEN TOR.

BY MM 5% United States Patent 3,068,941 COMBINATION WELL BORE AND CASING CLEANER Louis Kluck, Box 1421, Odessa, Tex. Filed Aug. 4, 1959, Ser. No. s31,521 1 Claim. (Cl. 166173) This invention relates to a combined well bore and casing cleaner.

An object of the invention is to provide a practical and inexpensive cleaner for loosening mud cake from a Well bore and for cleaning rust and coating on the casing in the same operation.

Briefly, the cleaning action begins when the extreme ends of a plurality of fingers are compressed while enter-. ing the well bore thereby causing the flat portions of the spring fingers to come in contact with the casing. There is always a double action i.e. cleaning of two spaced surfaces during the actuation and operation of the cleaner. A constantcleaning action is achieved by reciprocating the casing during cementing or the circulating process in well operations. This, of course, assures or at least helps to assure a good cement bond when cementing.

The cleaner is made of a collar having specially constructed fingers carried by the collar. Preferably, the collar has spaced pairs of slots through which a pair of fingers protrude. The fingers are capable of operating within the limits of the slots. The outer ends of the fingers scrape the bore, and the inner ends of the fingers are resiliently connected together by means of a network of eyes and links of resilient material, e.g. wire, so that there is ample flexure of the fingers. The entire network is secured to the collar, for example by a rivet, spot welding, bolting, etc.

The construction of the network of eyes is such that as the fingers are deflected by scraping the bore side wall, the heel of some of the portions of the network scrapes upon the casing to scrape and clean it.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to'like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary sectional view of a casing in a well bore with the casing equipped with a cleaner in accordance with the invention.

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 22 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary perspective view showing particularly the preferred form of fingers and loop or eye network connecting them together.

In the accompanying drawings there is illustrated a well bore in which there is a well casing 12, both of which are conventional. Cleaner 14 is mounted on casing 12 and is designed principally for use in cleaning the casing and scraping the surface of the bore preparatory to cementing.

Cleaner 14 is composed of a collar 16 which is annular to fit around casing 12 and which has a circumferential raised center section 18. The edges 20 and 22 of collar 16 engage the outer surface of casing 12 and retain the cleaner 14 in place on the casing against lateral displacement relative thereto. It is pointed out that the collar 16 is free to slide longitudinally of the casing 12 between adjacent joints joining adjacent casing sections or between limits established by means of stop collars 3,068,941 Patented Dec. 18, 1962 (no shown) secured to the casing at points spaced longitudinally therealong. Raised circumferential portion or section 13 of collar 16 forms a circumferential cavity 24 within the collar 16.

A plurality of identical groups 28 of fingers are carried by the raised portion 18 of collar 16. A typical group 28 is shown in detail in FIGURE 5 and includes a pair of identical fingers 30 and 32. The fingers are constructed of a single piece of resilient wire bent to the desired shape. The fingers 30 and 32 extend through slots 34 and 36 which are on spaced circumferences of collar 16, and the slots enable the fingers to extend from cavity 24 to the exterior of the collar. The ends of the fingers contact the surface of bore 10 during the use and operation of the cleaner 14.

The inner ends of the fingers 30 and 32 are slightly bowed as at 40 and 42, and there is a network of bent portions operatively connecting the inner ends 40 and 42 together. This network 46 includes a pair of identical straight parts 48 and 50 joined to the bowed portions 40 and 42 of the fingers, and there are multiple loops 52 and 54 integral with the ends of straight portions 48 and 50. Inwardly directed straight portions 56 and 58 of the single wire from which the fingers and network are constructed, extend toward each other, and they have right angular portions 6-0 and 62 integral with the adjacent ends thereof. A loop or eye 64 integrally joins the adjacent ends of portions 6% and 62 so that there is a flexure possibility in directions following the nominal X, Y and Z axes considered on a geometric basis. Further, the fiexure of the network is double acting inasmuch as the eye or loop 64 receives a shouldered rivet 68 whose head 70 bears against one surface of loop 64 and whose shank 72 extends through opening 74 in portion 18 of the collar. Shoulder portion 76 between shank 72 and head 71) occupies the aperture of loop or eye 64 forming a firm bearing support for the network.

In use the collar is lowered into the well bore on the well casing 12. As the ends of fingers 30 and 32 operate against the inner surface of the casing, rubbing it, they clean the same. At the same time, though, the reaction force generated between the fingers 30, 32 and the inner surface of the bore, is transmitted to double loops 52 and 54 and straight portions 56 and 58, causing said fingers 30 and 32 to swing about axes generally coinciding with the longitudinal axes of said straight portions 56 and 58 and to deflect in a direction to bring the heels 84 .and 86 formed at the juncture of fingers 30, 32 and portions 48, 50, to bear against the casing 12 and scrape it clean. All oscillatory movements of the fingers coupled with movement of the cleaner body or collar, will result in scraping action against the casing and also against the inner surface of the bore of the well.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

For use in drilling operations, a device for simultaneously scraping and cleaning the inner surfaces of a well bore and the outer surface of a well casing, said device including a collar on said casing having a plurality of radially opening and elongated slots formed therein extending circumferentially about said collar, a plurality of pairs of fingers including bowed inner end portions extending through said slots and joined to angulated straight portions generally paralleling each other, disposed inward 3 1y of said collar and defining heel portions at the juncture of the bowed and straight portions of said fingers, means mounting the ends of the angulated straight portions remote from said heel portions together and to said collar for swinging movement of the bowed portions of said fingers through said slots and about axes adjacent the ends of said angulated straight portions remote from said heel portions and generally paralleling the longitudinal axis of said collar, said fingers being constructed of resilient material and urged toward one limit position with said heels adjacent the adjacent inner surfaces of said collar and away from the casing on which said collar is disposed, said slots guidingly engaging the bowed portions of said fingers and said heel portions being disposed for inward displacement and for sliding contacting relation with said casing on which said collar is mounted when the outer free ends of said fingers contact the surfaces of the well bore and are inwardly deflected,

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,421,434 Reistle et a1 June 3, 1947 2,506,405 Wright May 2, 1950 2,671,515 Hall Mar. 9, 1954 2,802,536 Baker Aug. 13, 1957 OTHER REFERENCES The Oil Weekly, July 7, 1941, volume 102, number 5,page 37. 

